Combination folding ruler, square and level



W. F. WISE April 10, 1956 COMBINATION FOLDING RULER, SQUARE AND LEVEL 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed March 12. 1953 so s1 as 1.1 L14 R O T N E V m William/Fredrick Wise lax 7 j ATTORNEY April 10, 1956 w. F. WISE 2,741,030

COMBINATION FOLDING RULER, SQUARE AND LEVEL Filed March 12. 1953 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR WLLLiam/Fredrick WiJe ATTORNEY COMBINATION FOLDING RULER, SQUARE AND LEVEL William F. Wise, Palm Springs, Calif.

Application March 12, 1953, Serial No. 342,003

1 Claim. (CI. 33-49) This invention relates to a combination folding ruler, square, level and pencil holder and sharpener and has for an object to provide an improved combination device which serves as a ruler, may be opened to provide a square, acts as a level, and includes means for holding a pencil and for sharpening it when necessary, thus making all these functions available in a single device.

A further object of this invention is to provide a device of this nature which may be made in various sizes, and is particularly handy for carpenters, cabinet makers, amateur general maintenance handymen, household uses, and many others, including particularly school children in connection with drawing, measuring, squaring, pencil holding and sharpening in their school work.

A further object of this invention is to provide a combination device of this nature which is compact in size and sufficiently inexpensive to manufacture, and it can be purchased by the average school child as well as by the mechanic.

Still a further object of this invention is to provide a combination device having means for holding a pencil in one end thereof, additional means for sharpening the pencil when needed, provides a measuring ruler which may also be folded to provide a square, and also includes a pair of levels so that the device may be used for levelling both vertically and horizontally.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, this invention comprises the combination, construction and arrangement of parts hereinafter set forth, claimed and disclosed in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is an elevational plan view of the combination folding ruler, square, level and pencil holder and sharpener of this invention in closed position.

Fig. 2 is a similar elevational view, on a smaller scale, with the blade opened to the rule position.

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the blade opened to the square position.

Fig. 4 is an edge elevational view looking down on the upper edge of Fig. 2.

Fig. Sis a bottom view looking up at Fig. 4.

Fig. 6 is a similar view looking at the back edge of Fig. 4.

Fig. 7 is an end view on line 7-7 of Fig.

Fig. 8 is an end view on line 88 of Fig. 5.

Fig. 9 is an exploded view showing the pivotals snap joint between the blade and the block.

There is shown at 10 the combination folding ruler, square, level and pencil holder and sharpener of this invention consisting of a substantially rectangular longitudinally extending ruler block 11, which as seen in Figs. 7 and 8 is approximately square in cross section, and is provided with a recessed ledge 12 approximately half the width of the block 11 extending longitudinally thereof, and intersecting a transversely extending ledge 14 of the same width as recessed ledge 12. A ruler blade 15 is secured by a pivot 16 through the block 11, being pivoted at the point of intersection of the median longitudinal lines of the longitudinal recess 12 and transverse recess 14 at 17, and

' 2,741,030 Patented Apr. 10, 1956 adjacent the pivot opening 17 in the ledge 12 is a raised boss 18.

On the bottom of the blade 15 adjacent the opening through which the pivot 16 extends, there are three recessed grooves 20, 21, and 22 extending at right angles to each other about the pivot opening in such a manner that when the blade 15 is pivoted to lie in the closed position in the longitudinal recess 12, the groove 22 will overlie the projecting boss 18. When it is turned to the rule position, the groove 20 will overlie the boss 18, and when it is turned to the square position, the recess groove 21 will overlie the boss 18, each of these recessed grooves, one in the overlyingposition, tending to hold the blade 15 in the set position.

The groove and boss connection is conventional, as in folding rulers, and a relatively light pressure will cause the groove to override the boss to release the connection. It is to be noted that the location of the pivot point of rule 15 at the point of intersection of the median lines of recess 12 and recess 14 is so located as to permit free rotation of rule 15 into engagement with the shoulder of transverse recess 14 which serves as a positive stop to prevent movement of the rule past a right angle.

It will be observed that the back wall 23 of the recess ledge 12 is at right angles to the back wall 24 of the transverse ledge 14, which back walls further cooperate with the sideor edge of the blade 15 for holding it in either the closed position or the square position.

It will be observed that the bottom surface of the blade 15, as viewed in Fig. 5 is marked or? with measuring indicia for the inches from one to live as at 25, and that the top surface, as viewed in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is marked off with measuring indicia for inches from seven through twelve, as at 26, the inches from one to six being marked on the upper surface of the block 11, both on the upper surface of the block, as at 27, and on the surface of the ledge, as at 28.

As a result of the cooperating boss 18 and recessed grooves 20, 21, and 22, the blade 15 tends to snap into folding position either in the closed position shown in Fig. 1, the rule position shown in Fig. 2, or the square position shown in Fig. 3, it being noted that in the square position shown in full lines in Fig. 3, that the edge of the blade 15 is in contact with the back wall 24 of the transverse ledge 14, although obviously, the blade 15 may extend in the opposite direction to provide a square as shown in dotted line, or may be held in any intermediate position manually, as desired.

As a result of the measuring indicia used, it is apparent that the blade 15 will be preferably six inches long, while the block 11 is six and one-half inches long, and inasmuch as the blade 15 is pivoted at the center of the last half inch of the block 11, the added length of the block and the blade in the rule position will be exactly twelve inches. It will also be observed from Fig. 3 that the width of the block is approximately one inch, and hence, the width of both the longitudinally extending ledge 12 and transversely extending ledge 14 is one-half inch each. The height or thickness of the block will preferably be about three-quarters of an inch.

Suitably secured in and visible through apertures 30 and 31 are two spirit levels 32 and 33, the spirit level 32 extending horizontally to the length of the block 11, while the spirit level 33 extends transversely to the length of the block 11, and thus at right angles to the direction of the spirit level 32. The spirit level 32 is thus useful as the level on horizontal surfaces by placing the block 11 against the horizontal surface being checked, while the spirit level 33 is useful for checking vertical surfaces by placing the block 11 against the vertical surface being checked.

At one end of the block 11 there is provided a cylindri- 3 cally-shaped pencil receiving-aperture 34 for receiving and. carrying apencil therein, and between the .two. spirit. levels there is located a conically shaped transversely extending opening 35 provided With a pencil sharpening blade- 36 for sharpening a pencil inserted in. and rotatedwithin the conical opening 35, thus, providing means for slrtarpening' the pencil normally carried in the pencil-holder aperture 34;

There is thus provided acombination-folding ruler, wherein the blade 15 will fold and snap into any of three positions, the closed position, the half open rule position, and the three-quarter opensquare position. also-carries a level for checking both horizontal and-vertical surfaces, and in addition, has a means for both carrying a pencil and sharpening a pencil when-needed, thusmaking it useful for people in many walks of life, both adults, including mechanics, carpenters, and. the like, as well as school children, and is of such construction that it may be made-and sold at a low price, thus enhancing its utility.

While the device has been shown and the structure described indetail, it isobvious that this invention is not tobe considered as being limitedto the exact form disclosed, and that changes in detail and construction may bemade therein Within the scope of what is claimed, without departing from the spirit of this invention.

Having thus set forth and disclosed the nature of thisinvention, what is claimed is:

A combination ruler, square, and level comprising a substantially rectangular longitudinally extending block of rectangular cross section and having on one longitudinal face thereof a recessed ledge of one half the width of said face extending from one end to a spaced distance from the other end equal to one half the width of said face, said block having a transversely extending ledge on-said The device 1 4 face at said one end and of a width equal to one half the width. of. said face...andextendinavat. a right angle to. the, longitudinal dimension of said first mentioned recess, the back walls of said longitudinally extending ledge and said transversely extending ledge being at right angles to each other, a ruler blade of a size equal to said longitudinally extending ledge pivotally secured in face to face relation w to said block at a point-of:- intersection of the median longitudinal lines; of said recesses, said blade having on its confronting face spacedggrooves arranged fan shaped adjacent the point of attachment of said blade to block, a boss on the confronting-face ofsaid block engageable with each of said grooves, inturn to releasably hold said blade in closed position in said longitudinally extending recess or extended in axial alignment with said block or in said transversely extending recess to form a square, the face of said last-mentioned recess providing a positive stop for said blade in right angled position, said blade and block being dimensioned to form in extended axial alignment afoot rule, spaced measurement, indicia' on said blade and said block, and level indicating means positioned in apertures in said block.

Referencesv Cited in the. file of this. patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 196,234 Kitchin Oct. 16, 1877 750,725 Stephens Jan. 26 1904 883,112 Iacob Mar. 24, 1908 1,172,631 Prout r Feb. 22,1916, 1,221,777 Uney Apr. 3, 1917 1,242,740 Taylor Oct, 9,. 1917 1,585,563 Schlattau May 18, 1926 1,593,068, Gray July 20, 19 26 

